Clearing the Air
by Brooke87
Summary: have a go, try it.


The day he almost lost her would be a memory he could never get rid of - no matter how much he wished for that to happen. It had been the most terrifying day in his entire life and yet - the moment he saw her sit up on the stone-cold floor of that damned pyramid - he felt as though his heart had started to beat anew. A whole world of possibilities, that he had had to say goodbye to, suddenly opened up to him again and as he looked into her eyes he vowed to never let a such a possibility pass him by again. When it came to her he had left way too much to chance. He had always thought that there would be time. Time to sort out their complicated yet sometimes so obvious relationship. But that day had taught him that there was no promise of that time ever coming. And when he thought about it, it was stupid of him to ever think so. Something was always coming up, be it some adventure or family drama.

No, this time he would get it right. He would do everything in his power to make the most of the time they had. This second chance had shown him that he didn't have the luxury to wait for their fairytale ending - and if he was honest to himself , he didn't think he could wait anymore, not after what he had lived through that fatal day.

That was why, as they stood frozen in shock upon seeing her sit up on the floor, all he wanted to do was run towards her and envelope her in his arms. But the destruction of the Ankh broke the moment and they had to flee. Just as she was about to dive under water he caught her eyes again and for a second there he thought about clearing the air once and for all before his brother interrupted them and brought his thoughts back to the present. This certainly wasn't the time.

But as the two brothers arrived on the pantoon and waited for her to come to the surface, he knew that he couldn't wait any longer. He felt nervous and his body was itching with anticipation. His younger brother must have known what was going through his mind because as soon as she came up to the surface, as soon as he had made sure she was really there, he cleared his throat, announcing he would be waiting for them inside.

After his brother had left, he couldn't do anything but stare at her for a long time. As she started to climb out of the water he shook his head as if to bring his thoughts back to the present and offered his hand for assistance wich she gladly took. They now stood close together. She was dripping with water and still, to him she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon.

Then he pulled her in. It was all he had wanted to do since he saw her regain consciousness. He brought his arms up around her and held her so tight he was sure she had trouble breathing. But he didn't care - he couldn't get her close enough, not after that day. His right hand went up to her neck and as he touched her soft hair, his hands started to tremble. He could have lost her. That was all that was going through his mind. He had come so close to loosing her forever. Slowly and without him being able to stop it, his whole body started shaking and a sob escaped his mouth.

She somehow managed to get out of his embrace and looked at him. He had been weak in front of her before. She had witnessed him being upset about his father. Once she had seen him shed a tear. But that had been one single tear. It was a weak moment, granted, but he had still been somewhat in control. He had never lost that control in front of her - and he had vowed for it to never happen.

But today, everything was different. He had never in his life been so afraid. Even now. He couldn't quite believe that she was standing in front of him, not yet. So he broke down. He couldn't stop the tears from running down his face, he couldn't move his gaze from her beautiful face. All he could do was cry.

She looked shocked at seeing him so weak. But more so, she looked confused.

„Tell me what happened."

He looked into her eyes and he knew he had to answer her questions, but all he could think of was almost loosing her.

„I almost lost you" he choked out and her eyes looked curious. She didn't know what had happened to her. He had to explain, he knew that.

He closed his eyes, breathed in, and when he opened them his eyes shone with determination.

„Have you ever thought about us? He had wanted to answer her questions, he really did. But when he opened his mouth, he couldn't stop the question that he had wondered about for so many years now. He took her hands and he couldn't have taken his eyes off of her, even if he wanted to.

„What do you mean?" she asked as if she had no clue as to what he was hinting at. But he knew better. He had seen that little twinkle in her eyes that told him they were about to get this thing right. So he squeezed her hand.

„Because I have been thinking about it"

She smiled a shy smile and when he heard those next words he swore he was the luckiest man alive.

„I have been too."

He studied her face. Slowly he lifted his free hand to her face and laid it onto her cheek. She closed her eyes for a short moment and as she opened them again she put her hand above his.

His breath hitched in his throat as he looked at her with tear-clouded eyes.

„I can't loose you." he choked out. „I need us to be okay."

She smiled again. „We will. I promise." And with that she stood up on toes and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before she snuggled up to his chest. As if it was an automatic response he put his arms around her. She had laid her head on his chest, close to where his heart beat and breathed in deeply. „I promise you you that we will get this thing right. We will be okay. You and me."

He was still nervous. And he knew she could sense that. Hearing her reassurance was making his head spin but he still had doubts. When it came to them, their history was full of half obvious statements, acknowledgments that could be interpreted either way. He knew he was her best friend and he loved being there for her. But this - the relationship they had developed - went far beyond that, at least for him. That was what he had been wondering about for the past years, never brave enough to ask her in fear of her answer.

But today had changed things. He had to know. He needed her to know how he felt. He needed everything between them to be crystal clear.

„As friends?" There, he had done it. He had asked her that crucial questions that could change everything. It would change his whole world.

She took a few seconds that appeared to stretch on forever. Then, finally, she started to speak. It was a simple response, only one word. Yet, she said it with so much determination, so much emotion that he felt as if he would collapse under the weight of it.

„No."

He felt shocked, he fet happy, he felt scared. He felt everything at once and his whole body became stiff.

„I may not know much about feelings and relationships," with that she lifted her head from his chest and looked at him, „but I guess I know enough to know that this" - she motioned between the two of them - „isn't friendship. It goes deeper. I can't explain it, I just know."

He stared at her as if he had just now realized that she was actually here. Slowly, a shy smile appeared on his face and as she smiled at him in response, his timid smile broke into a huge grin. He lifted her up and twirled her around and as he put her down again he rested his forehead against hers.

„You have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say that." He sighed.

„Me too."

They stood like that for several seconds until she looked at him again.

„What happened today?" She sounded scared and he knew she had sensed that it had been big, epic. His reaction had given that much away he figured. So he took her hand an started to fill her in. He tried to be objective, but he seemed to have lost control over his voice. He couldnt keep it from breaking every now and then.

When he had finished, she had tears in her eyes as well.

„Thank you" she whispered.

„Why?

„For everything you have done, for respecting my wishes - and for saving me."

„I didn't know…"

„But still… thank you."

She touched his cheek with her left hand. „Thank you"

Then she seemed to remember something else. „Wait, what about mother? Does she still think…?"

„Yeah I guess so. That's why we're here. I need to tell her. She is out of her mind."

He had had his eyes closed while she was touching him but now he opened them again. „Are you ready to do this?"

„I can't remember all the things you told me - but mother needs to know I'm okay. So yes, I'm ready."

He smiled at her thinking again how much this girl in front of him meant too him. She needed to know. He had so much more to tell her. But for now, things were okay the way they were. They had finally, after years, cleared the air and he knew with certainty that they would figure it out together - they would be allright. So he let her change into her uniform and without another word he took her hand and together they entered the base.

Inside his brother was waiting and as soon as he saw them come in, he ran up to them and enveloped his friend in a hug of his own. They didn't speak much as they continued their way to the commander's cabin.

As he saw his mother turn around upon their arrival he felt weird. Here he was bringing her back and all he could do was cry and smile like an idiot at the same time. It didn't take his mother long to get over the shock and he realized that all of his emotions were mirrored on her face. After a while she turned towards him and smiled. He had seldom seen her so happy and in that moment he just knew. This girl in front of him was family. She had always been to everyone in this room. Except to him. To him she wasn't part of his family, she was his family. She was it.


End file.
